


When The Unthinkable Happens

by SaraJaye



Category: The Amazing Chan and the Chan Clan
Genre: Angst, Car Accidents, Drama, Frustration, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-08-26
Updated: 2014-08-26
Packaged: 2018-02-14 23:15:23
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 498
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2206713
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SaraJaye/pseuds/SaraJaye
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Something terrible happens on a case. Alan anguishes. But there's always a glimmer of hope.</p>
            </blockquote>





	When The Unthinkable Happens

**Author's Note:**

> _Author's choice, author's choice, a dramatic accident._

They'd never given any thought to the possibility of such a thing. Their cases had all been kids' stuff so far, safe and...relatively comfortable, and they always had Pop to bail them out if things got too hairy.

One day, Henry and Stanley were driving away from a failed investigation when it happened. Out of nowhere another car charged onto the road and they had no time to stop, turn or honk the horn. A loud crash, breaking glass and a scream later, Pop and several officers stood among the wreckage. Reactions ranged from denial to anger to self-blame to numbness to devastation.

Naturally, the devastation was Alan's.

"All that hard work," he moaned. "All that hard work, and it's _gone!_ I'm going to have to do everything all over again, from _scratch!_ "

To most people, the Chan Van was just a van. To the family, it was their best mode of transportation. To Alan Chan, it was a years-long accomplishment. From the time he was twelve he'd drawn up pages and pages of designs and formulas, tested each transformation, worked out bug after bug after bug until everything was flawless. Even Chan Plan X had finally come out right after a year of tinkering.

It had taken one reckless driver and one bad turn to undo all that hard work in a single moment. Naturally, Henry blamed himself as he'd been the one driving while Alan's unit plus Mimi tried to comfort him.

"You're a mechanical genius! You'll make a new, better Chan Van in no time flat," Anne said.

"And you know I'm more than delighted to offer assistance should the necessity arise," Tom added. Alan sighed, burying his head in his hands.

"But it'll take _years!_ The first one took me three, this one will probably take me...five, or six!"

"Nah, the first one took years cause you didn't know all your stuff yet," Stanley pointed out. "You know it all now, so this time you can just plug it in and that'll be that!"

"It's not _that_ easy," Alan groaned. "It still takes time and energy and testing and working out bugs and with finals coming I don't have that kind of time."

"We'll help!"

"I dunno..."

"Maybe the van's not in as bad shape as we think," Flip said. "I mean, Pop took it to the mechanic so maybe they can fix everything!"

"Maybe." Alan tried to smile. "For what it's worth, I'm just glad Henry and Stanley weren't wrecked, too."

"Hey, seatbelts save lives," Henry said. "And ours were working double time."

They wouldn't know if the van was going to survive until the mechanics looked it over, and that could take a week. If any cases popped up in the meantime, they'd be relegated to sitting by the phone or protecting the base camp i.e. home.

With a little luck, the van would survive. But if not, Alan anticipated a whole summer of rebuilding once school let out.


End file.
